Growing Up
by Michi no Ani
Summary: They were friends, the closest anyone else at the orphanage was. They were inseparable, or at least they thought. Rosette and Joshua were adopted, leaving Chrno in the orphanage, alone. How much did they change over the years?
1. Nostalgia

Disclaimer: I do not own Chrno Crusade, its characters, or storyline/plot in any way. I only claim the idea of this story and the story itself.

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Hey guys! Sorry I haven't uploaded anything lately; I'm having a big writer's block, and can't really get back into the flow of the story without rewriting it. D: I think that's what I'll have to do.

Anyway, another story occurred to me during church (huzzah!), and I didn't really try to plan it because then it would come out horrible. (Not really). So… I'm just going to wing it for a bit until I kind of develop a plot. Bear with me guys!

WARNING: There is mild language here… I found it to fit so I couldn't help it D:

Anyway, enjoy my first upload in a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG time. C:

* * *

"Leave me alone!" a small girl cried. Her ocean blue eyes were ready to let tears fall, but she did her best to hold them back, refusing to cry in front of the boys.

A group of boys were surrounding her, teasing her, pulling her hair and skirt. "What's wrong _Rosette_? Where's your loser brother?" The boys laughed, feeling superior to the young girl.

"My brother isn't a loser!" Rosette said, rubbing her eyes. "He's a better and smarter person than any of you dumbos will ever be!"

"What did you say?" One of the boys said, even though the whole group heard perfectly well what she said. Another boy pushed her, and they all took turns pushing poor Rosette around. She eventually fell to the ground, not bothering to hold back tears.

Just then, a boy with light blond hair ran to Rosette's side. "You dumbasses should leave Rosette alone!" he said, not bothering to be careful with foul language. "She didn't do anything to you!"

The boys' rage grew more, and they charged at the boy, knowing that they couldn't hurt a girl, but they could hurt a boy. The blond boy didn't bother to negotiate, and launched equal attacks, managing to dodge them all and hurt them in the process.

One of the boys tried to kick him, but the blond boy managed to avoid it. Another boy of the group, however, took advantage of the moment and swung a fist at the boy's turned head. A hand grabbed his wrist though, stopping the punch.

"All of you, stop," a cool voice said. Everyone turned to look at a boy with purple shoulder-length hair. His crimson eyes pierced fear into the group of boys. They all began to run, one yelling back to them, "Next time, loser, we'll get you!"

The blond boy stuck his tongue out at them. "Yeah, right!" He turned back around to see the purple haired boy comfort a crying Rosette.

"Rosette," the purple haired boy said, "are you okay?"

Rosette nodded, wiping her eyes of tears. "They…. They were making fun of Joshua… I… I tried to tell them that Joshua is a good guy, but then they started teasing me and making fun of me."

The purple haired boy looked over to the blond boy, and then the blond boy sat next to Rosette. "Rose, you don't have to defend me, I can fight my own battles, even though I don't know how it started." The purple haired boy punched him on the arm. "Ow! Um, but thank you for thinking of me anyway."

Rosette looked over to him, and smiled. "You're welcome Joshua."

Joshua looked over to the purple haired boy. "And thanks Chrno, for helping me out there. I would've been knocked out if it wasn't because of you."

Chrno scoffed. "You should've come to get me first before running head on into a group of bullies."

"But they were being mean to Rosette!" Joshua said in defense. "I wasn't going to just leave her there any longer!"

"Alright, fine," Chrno said with a sigh. "But try to at least _call_ me next time, okay?" Joshua nodded. "Okay then, ready to go back inside Rosette?" Rosette nodded and stood up. She grabbed Chrno's hand before he could begin walking. Chrno looked back at Rosette, wondering why she grabbed his hand.

"Um… thank you," Rosette said quietly with a slight blush. Chrno smiled, and began to walk on into the orphanage, holding Rosette's hand all the way in.

**XXX**

"You three are always in trouble!" Ms. Jean yelled at Rosette, Joshua, and Chrno. "Can't you, for once, just stay put and away from any trouble?" Rosette seemed to try to shrink and hide away from Ms. Jean's yelling, while Joshua was just smiling, and Chrno just sat there with his hands behind his head. Ms. Jean sighed. "Really, you three, I know you can't help it, but at least _try_ to be good."

"But we do try, Ms. Jean," Joshua said. "It's just that everyone is out to get us in trouble, when it's really their fault."

Ms. Jean nodded. "Yes, I know Joshua. But that's why you just ignore them. Don't let them get the best of you."

Just as Joshua was about to say, "Easy for you to say," Chrno said, "Excuse us, Ms. Jean. We'll try harder not to get in any more trouble. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to get ready for dinner."

Ms. Jean was left speechless. "Um, yes, of course. You are dismissed." With Chrno leading, the three left, but before closing the door, Rosette said, "Sorry for the trouble Ms. Jean."

Ms. Jean sat down into her chair, rubbing her temples.

_Those kids_, she thought. _Why do they have to stand out so much? Especially…._ She thought of Chrno's crimson eyes, staring right at her, almost as if he were looking into her soul. She shuddered. _That boy can __not__ be normal. But at least it seems he's happy with those two_, she mentally sighed. _Perhaps they can keep him out of any real trouble._

**XXX**

After dinner, the three kids went outside to their hideout, a small cave they found at the edges of the orphanage property. A tree was right in front of the cave, hiding it from anyone who passed by.

Rosette sat in her spot, a wooden chair Chrno had made her a while back, and began to read a book. Joshua challenged Chrno to various small games, like rock paper scissors, or tic tack toe. Chrno usually always won, with the occasional victory for Joshua.

Sometimes if Chrno or Joshua was tired, Rosette would just read part of her book to them. One time Joshua fell asleep, leaving Chrno to carry him back to the house. Rosette offered to help him, but Chrno said he could handle it.

"I wonder why those boys call you a loser Joshua," Rosette said, still feeling a bit bad about earlier that day.

"They're probably jealous," Chrno said, looking over Rosette's shoulder at the book she was reading.

"Jealous of what?" Joshua asked. "We all live in the orphanage, without parents, money, or even simple pleasures or luxury. What could they possibly be jealous of?"

"Despite that, you do have a simple happiness," Chrno said, sitting next to Rosette.

"And that would be…?" Joshua started.

"Friends," Chrno said with a smile. "We're always together, laughing, joking, playing; they're jealous of the happiness we get just from being friends."

"But don't they have friends?" Rosette asked. "They're always together too."

"They're probably only together because they're all jealous of Joshua or something. They probably don't have anything in common with each other at all."

Rosette looked down. "Poor guys…"

Joshua scoffed. "Don't show sympathy for them! Did you already forget what they did to you? All they did just because they didn't like me?"

Rosette looked up at Joshua. "So? Everyone deserves a friend to talk to, or at least someone they can get along with!"

"But they do get along," Chrno stated.

"They get along by hating me!" Joshua said with a laugh.

Rosette sighed. "That's not what I mean!"

Chrno patted Rosette's head. "We know what you mean Rosette, but we can't do anything about it. We can't even get close to them without them making fun of us or going off about Joshua. They don't deserve anything until they learn to stop acting like babies."

Rosette looked down. "I guess you have a point Chrno…"

"Besides," Joshua said, rubbing his finger under his nose. "We're going to be together for a loooooong time. Either they'll have to get used to it, or continue being jealous of me."

Rosette smiled. "I hope they get used to it, or Chrno's eyes will eventually have no effect on them from saving you so much!"

"Yeah- Hey!" Joshua yelled with a smile.

The three friends broke out into laughter, cherishing the simple moment.

**XXX**

**XXX**

The next day, a couple came to the orphanage, looking to adopt a girl and boy. They saw nearly all the kids, not being able to decide on any, but when they saw Rosette, Joshua, and Chrno, they instantly wanted to adopt Rosette and Joshua.

Ms. Jean hesitated, knowing the three were inseparable, but she finally agreed to let them adopt the siblings.

The three friends all locked themselves inside Rosette's room, refusing to come out. They refused to be separated, even if the future parents were the best parents in the world. Ms. Jean had told the parents to go and come back later during the night. When the three finally fell asleep, Ms. Jean sneaked into the room, being careful not to wake them. She was able to carry Rosette and Joshua out, placing them on the sofa, their things ready to go.

Their new parents came. Ms. Jean let them take them to their car, and when they were done, the drove off the property with the siblings still asleep.

The next morning, Chrno waited outside Ms. Jean's bedroom until she came out. When she did, she was startled by the boy, who seemed to be glaring daggers into her heart. As scary as the boy looked, she saw sadness in his eyes, and then noticed the boy's eyes were a bit red and swollen.

"You… were awake?" Ms. Jean said to Chrno. He didn't say anything, but instead looked away and walked down the hall into Rosette's old room and slamming the door shut. He didn't come out for lunch or dinner, but nothing was heard inside the room.

* * *

Yay! Chapter one, done! :D

This chapter was confused me because I was trying to make them OOC for this chapter. I think it worked. xDD;

I usually would probably stop chap. 1 after the fight, but I decided to just make one long one, or rather, one longer than usual. xD

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. R&R :D


	2. Not Now!

Disclaimer: I don not own Chrno Crusade, its characters, or story/plot in any way. I only own this story and the idea behind it.

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I found it funny that what reminded me to finish this chapter was my fanfic rage. xD;

I'm rewatching Chrno Crusade… their personalities are all rushing back to me :'D

Oh the Nostalgia.

* * *

"That'll be three dollars and forty-eight cents," the blond girl at the register said to the customer.

Taking out his wallet, the costumer said, "What? That's more than 2 weeks ago, Rosette!"

Rosette smiled. "Sorry John, prices keep going up, we can't help it ourselves."

John smiled back. "It's fine," he said, handing her the money. "You guys already give me a discount for being a daily customer."

Rosette took the money and put in the register. "Oh, how's Lizzy by the way?"

John sighed. "Same as always. The doctors are doing what they can, but it almost seems like she won't pull through."

Rosette reached out to him and patted his arm. "I'm sure she'll make it. Look at Joshua; they said he wouldn't make it, but he's pulling through."

John smiled sadly, "Yeah, but that's also because he has a great older sister that watches over him."

Rosette smiled. "As does Lizzy, only a great dad." John smiled too. "You gonna go visit her later?" John nodded. "Give her my regards." Rosette motioned him to wait and went to grab a small carton of strawberry milk. She gave it John. "Give that to her too, on me," she said with a wink.

John laughed. "Got it. See you tomorrow Rosette."

"Bye John!" Rosette said, waving goodbye to John.

**XXX**

Rosette thought about Lizzy. She had only known the girl for a short while, before she was in a car crash. She managed to survive, and was still fighting for her life.

Rosette also began to think about Joshua. The doctors couldn't really figure out what kind of illness he had, but they did the best they could to keep it from going serious. They had said that Joshua's illness was the first ever recorded in history, and they really wanted to study him more, but they weren't sure if Joshua would be able to handle it.

Rosette sighed. _If only we could go back to the times when he wasn't sick_, she thought. _To the time… that everything was fine, and… __**he**__ was still around…_

Rosette began to remember old memories, including what happened after they had, unknowingly, left the orphanage.

**XXX**

Rosette woke up with a jolt. She rubbed her eyes, noticing an unfamiliar sound. _Sounds like a car_… she thought. Yawning, she tried stretching, her hands hitting some sort of roof. _Huh?_ Rosette looked up, seeing a ceiling of some sort above her, she touched it, wondering if she was still sleeping and just imagining it or if it was real. _Oh it's real alright…. _Looking ahead, she noticed she was in a car. There was a man and a woman in the front. She studied them, wondering who they were, where they were taking her.

After a while, she knew where she had seen them before. "Y-YOU!" she screamed, pointing a finger at them. The man, who was driving, pulled over. Both adults, a man and a woman, looked back at Rosette.

"We can explain," they began.

"Where are you taking me?" she screamed, not noticing that Joshua was sleeping, more like awakening, beside her.

"Look, Rosette-" the woman said.

Rosette opened the car door and ran out. The adults called out after her, but Rosette took no notice to their yells. She blindly ran the opposite direction that the car was going, understanding what was happening.

"C-CHRNO!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. She didn't stop running; she thought she could make it back to the orphanage. She forgot about the possibility of Joshua being with her, only worried about Chrno.

She eventually came to a stop. She fell to her knees, tears freely falling down her cheeks. "Chrno…" she cried. The adults had caught up to her, Joshua right behind them.

**XXX**

Rosette shook her head of the memories. Sarah and Mark had done what was best for Rosette and Joshua. They explained later on that they didn't take Chrno because they had felt an air around him, an unwelcoming air, but they had no idea how much separating the three would have an effect on them.

It had taken Rosette about a year to finally calm down. She tried her best to move on, make new friends and forget about that time. She was unsuccessful, but she somehow managed to move on partially.

Sarah had died a couple months ago. Joshua, known to always be ill, had gotten worse and admitted to a hospital, where they are doing their best to make him better. Mark worked harder than ever before, trying to pay off bills and support Rosette. Rosette decided to take on a job of her own and support herself, so Mark wouldn't have to carry the burden.

Rosette and Mark lived in a one bedroom apartment; she slept in the room, and Mark would just crash on the sofa, since he worked early and came home late. Rosette attended a nearby Catholic school, since it was the cheapest school she could attend. She didn't really mind, but there were times she wished she could go out and party like every other teenager her age.

Rosette looked up at the clock, noticing that her shift was over. After getting her stuff, Rosette said good-bye to the store owner and walked to the bus stop. Her home was practically on the other side of the city, but she could only find a job here.

The bus arrived and Rosette got on. She greeted the bus driver, Marla.

"Hey Rosette," Marla said with a smile. "Another day of working huh?"

Rosette sighed and took a seat. "Yeah, same as yesterday… and the day before… and the day before…"

"Ya know, I've never seen a teenager work as hard as you do, at least not when their home is on the other side of the dang city."

Rosette chuckled. "It's the best I could do, and you know I sure ain't taking it for granted."

Marla smiled. "Of course not. The Great Rosette never takes anything for granted."

Rosette smiled sadly. _There is one thing I did…._

It was about 8 o'clock, and Rosette had barely walked through her apartment door. She dragged herself to her bedroom, and flopped onto the bed. Her eyes fluttered shut, sleep and tiredness overwhelming her. _No..._ she thought. _I still have to go see…. Josh….ua…._

With that last thought, Rosette fell into a deep sleep.

**XXX**

Rosette jolted awake to the sound of her alarm clock.

"OH CRAP!" she yelled. "I MISSED THE BUS!"

She ran to her closet. Nearly ripping her school uniform off of its hanger, she ran to the bathroom for a quick shower. Once done, she jerked her clothes on, grabbed a slice of half-eaten toast left on the counter by her dad, and ran out the door, barely remembering to lock it.

Rosette sprinted down the street, stuffing the toast down her mouth into her empty stomach, hoping it would give her some energy. It slightly helped, but she quickly used up the energy and began to slow down.

_Go Rosette, GO! _Rosette pushed herself, refusing to let her body take a single shot at a break. With luck, she made it past all the crosswalks before the stoplights turned green, and when she got the last crossing, the bell, indicating classes starting, rang. She impatiently waited for the light to turn red, letting her dash past the street to her school.

Before the light did turn red though, Rosette was overcome with more weariness. She tried to shake it off, but before she knew it, the ground was racing in front of her face, and her whole mind went blank.

* * *

BWAHAHAHAHA.

I am still capable of cliffhangers. 3

-le gasp- OMG I HAVE TO SLEEP. D8

-updates story quickly and turns off computer-

LOL. Well, just now that I proofread the story, I noticed I did some horrible mistakes. xDD;

I fixed them, so it should make a bit more sense. HURRAY FOR DOUBLE-CHECKING!

xD

R&R GUYS!


	3. Memories

Disclaimer: I do not own Chrno Crusade…. La… la… etc etc…

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Ya know what's good inspiration? Listening to the songs from the anime c':

* * *

The first couple sounds Rosette heard was a familiar voice yelling.

"…care! She's my sister and I can visit her if I want!"

Rosette slowly opened her eyes, blinded for a moment by the sun shining into the white room. She saw Joshua arguing with a doctor, his normal energy bursting. He spotted her waking up, pushed himself past the doctor, and tackled a still half knocked-out Rosette.

"Careful!" the doctor said. "She's still pretty bad!"

Joshua ignored the man. "Rosette! What are you doing here? Why'd you overwork yourself you idiot?"

Rosette was caught off guard for a moment. "Uh…."

Joshua sighed. "You okay Rosette?"

Rosette finally processed what happened. "I'm in…. the hospital?" she asked. Joshua laughed at her late reaction. "But… I was crossing the road, I mean, I was on my way to school when…" She shook her head in frustration.

Joshua hugged his sister. "You overworked yourself. You fainted when you stopped." Rosette hugged him back. "Sorry I make you and dad work so much…"

Rosette looked him in the eye. "It's not your fault." Joshua smiled sadly. Rosette ruffled his hair.

The doctor grabbed Joshua's shoulder. "Time to go back to your room. She needs more rest for now. Do it, for her."

The blonde boy pouted. "Yes, sir…" he said gloomily. He got off of his sister's bed and went back to his room. The doctor told Rosette to continue sleeping, and left the room.

Rosette didn't fall asleep right away, but she eventually did.

**XXX**

Rosette and Joshua had been at the orphanage since they were 3 and 2. Rosette doesn't remember her parents, or what happened to them. All she had known is that she had her brother, Ms. Jean, and everyone at the orphanage.

"…and they lived happily ever after. The end," 9 year-old Joshua said, closing the book. "Did you like the story Rosette? I think it was nice. I doubt they would ever actually have things like that in real life, but it's nice to escape to your imagination once and a while right?" Joshua smiled at his sister.

10 year-old Rosette nodded. Rosette never talked much, and people assume something happened to her before she came to the orphanage. Rosette knew there was nothing wrong with her; she just didn't see a lot to talk about. The one who usually heard her speak at all was Joshua.

Many boys at the orphanage bullied Rosette for her muteness. They would call her names, pull her hair, and make her cry. Joshua would always step in, doing his best to protect his older sister. For this, most of the boys called him a loser. They didn't really know how he was a loser, but they thought it fit anyway.

One day, Ms. Jean called all the kids to the dining room.

"Alright children, settle down, settle down," Ms. Jean said once everyone was assembled. "I have something to tell you children. We have a new child coming to the orphanage." The kids starting talking all at once, excited about the new child. They asked Ms. Jean questions, but she just told them to wait. "He may seem a bit…. strange, but he is really just the same as any of you other children. Please, come in!" Ms. Jean called out to a door nearby.

The door opened. The room grew quiet with anxiety and excitement. They wanted to see who the new child was; they wanted to know whether to write him off as one of them or out of the group.

A kid stepped in. He had long purple hair that reached below his waist and crimson eyes. He was wearing a pocket watch around his neck. His skin was a tan color.

"This is Chrno!" Ms. Jean said, breaking the silence. It was obvious she was uncomfortable with the silence. There was this ominous feeling in the air, along with a bit of fear.

The only one who was immune to the mood was Joshua. He was smiling widely, showing his excitement for the new child.

"Say something Chrno," Ms. Jean urged, hoping for him to break the mood. Chrno just looked up at the woman, his eyes cold. She felt a wave of fear, but did her best to hide it. Chrno looked down at the floor. "U-um…. That is all. You're all dismissed," she said nervously. Once all the children left Ms. Jean dismissed herself from Chrno and went to her room thinking _He won't be accepted. He won't. I saw it too though; he doesn't __**want**__ to be accepted._

Joshua was intently watching, from afar, the new child read a book. "We should go say Hi!" Joshua said cheerfully to his sister. Rosette was also looking at the boy, but not with fascination. "No one is playing with him, he seems lonely."

Rosette looked over to her brother. "Didn't you feel it in the air in the dining room?" she said with a quiet voice. "It seemed more like he was trying to scare us off." She looked over at the kids playing extremely far away from him. "He seems to have succeeded too."

Joshua scoffed. "That's no reason to not greet someone! Maybe he was just nervous." Joshua began to run over to the new boy, planning to welcome him.

"Joshua!" Rosette said a little louder than normal, but not a loud enough scream to stop Joshua. She followed her brother, not wanting to leave him alone with the mysterious new child. When she reached him, he was chatting away to Chrno, as if he knew him all his life. Chrno was just blankly staring at the blonde boy.

"This is Rosette!" Joshua introduced Rosette once she spotted her. "She's my older sister, but I seem like the older one of the both of us." Chrno gave Rosette a glance, causing Rosette to shiver, but he went back to staring at Joshua. "So your name's Chrno, right? It's an odd name, I've never heard of it before."

Chrno didn't say anything, and instead went back to reading his book. Joshua sighed. "Tough crowd." He sat down next to Chrno, and questioned him on what he was reading. Chrno never responded and ignored Joshua the whole time while reading his book. Rosette eventually sat down, watching her brother talk to the boy.

Once the sun started to set, Joshua stopped pestering the boy. "We have to go in now Chrno," he said, standing up. "I have to go right now to take my medicine. Watch Rosette for me okay?" With that, Joshua ran off.

"Wait- Joshua!" Rosette started, but her brother was soon out of sight. She glanced back at Chrno, who was standing up. He began walking, passing her, still saying nothing. Rosette ran to catch up to the boy, silently studying him.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Chrno spoke. "You don't talk much."

Rosette flinched at his voice. She didn't expect him to speak. "Y-you don't either," she stuttered back.

He didn't say any more after that.

Rosette was lying in her bed. It was around midnight and all of the other girls were asleep. Rosette was thinking about Chrno. He was a mysterious new boy. Rosette remembered his distant, cold eyes. She was sure about him not wanting to be greeted at first and that he tried to scare everyone off. Joshua didn't feel it because he didn't really see or sense anything different from him. Rosette on the other hand, didn't feel afraid of Chrno. She felt a bit suspicious, but it wasn't really fear.

_Why'd I flinch? Why didn't I want to be around him? _Rosette didn't ponder on the questions and began to think of his voice. She was surprised when he spoke, but she expected that if he talked it would be a harsh, low voice. But it wasn't. It was smooth, gentle, soft. Rosette blushed at the thought.

She thought about his eyes again. Rosette remembered she shivered when he glanced at her, but why? _He seemed… sad. I wonder what happened to him before he came here…_

Rosette could think no more, and drifted to sleep.

* * *

YAY. Chapter three is OVA.

Being honest, I liked typing this chapter. xD; It was fun and the whole past thing got _me_ excited c':

I'm going to get working on chapter four before I forget what I was thinking! :D

R&R guys!


	4. Memories 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Chrno Crusade. Period.

* * *

_A week or two after the new boy arrived at the orphanage, Joshua got more sick than usual. Rosette avoided going out. One reason was because she didn't want to be by herself and the second reason was that she didn't want to be bullied. Until…_

Rosette heard a knock at her door. "Rosette?" a muffled voice came from behind the door. It was Ms. Jean. She knocked again. "Rosette, please come out. Your brother will be fine; he would be sad to see you like this."

Rosette didn't move from her bed. She just sat there staring at the book of fairy tales Joshua often read to her. She knew that Joshua was fine, but she was just scared of being alone outside, and she didn't have the courage to speak up for herself.

After a few minutes, there was another knock on the door. Rosette didn't look up, expecting to be Ms. Jean again. But there was no noise behind the door. Another few moments passed and another knock was heard. Rosette noticed the knock sounded gentle. If it was Ms. Jean, it would have been harder.

Rosette rose from her bed, hugging the book in her arms. She walked to the door, grabbed the handle and gently turned it. She saw Chrno standing at her door. Rosette was a bit surprised. She hadn't talked to the boy much, and didn't even know much about him. Here he was, giving her the same blank stare he had first given Joshua.

"W-what do you want C-Chrno?" Rosette stuttered. She didn't want to let him in, but she didn't want to just close the door on him.

Chrno reached for the book in her arms. Rosette pulled back protectively, thinking he was going to steal it. Chrno left his arm extended, and then withdrew. "Come," is all he said. He turned around and walked down the hall to the exit.

Rosette knew that she could've ignored the boy, closed the door and gone back to sulking in her bed, but she was almost intrigued, and decided to follow Chrno. She quickly put on her shoes and went to follow Chrno, and she still held the book in her arms.

She eventually caught up to the boy; he had led her to the tree where he was when Joshua first greeted him. Chrno sat at the base of the tree, waiting for Rosette to also take a seat. Rosette stared dumbly at him, confused, but Chrno just stared blankly at her. She finally caught on, and sat down beside the boy, feeling a bit awkward.

"May I?" Chrno said finally, gesturing to the book Rosette held. Rosette looked at his hand and then at him, trying to see if he would try anything funny. He was only staring at her, with the same distant, cold…

_Wait,_ Rosette thought. _His eyes aren't like that right now… They're… _Rosette couldn't remember the words to describe the look in his eyes. She gave him the book hesitantly.

Chrno opened the cover, and then looked at Rosette. "Where do I start?"

"Huh?" Rosette looked at Chrno. He had a hint of curiosity in his eyes, but the rest was that one word Rosette couldn't seem to find. "A-are you going to read to me?" Chrno nodded. "Um… t-then just start from the beginning." Chrno looked back at the book and turned the pages to the first story.

"Once upon a time," he read, "there was once a king and queen…"

Rosette had heard the stories many times over and over and knew most of them by heart, but she was almost amazed at every twist and turn when Chrno read it. Chrno didn't really read the story with any enthusiasm, using the same tone throughout the whole story, but his way of reading it had a feeling behind it. Rosette also couldn't help but focus on his voice too. Two weeks ago was the only other time she heard his voice, and it was only for a brief moment. Now, he's reading stories non-stop to her, and she can study it more. It _was_ gentle, but it had a bit of a rough tone to it. His English was excellent, but some words didn't naturally flow off of his tongue. _Maybe it isn't his first language,_ Rosette thought. She had also noticed something she didn't two weeks ago.

"Chrno-" she interrupted. Chrno stopped and looked up at her. "How old are you?"

Chrno silently stared at her for a moment, and then looked back down to the book. "11. Why?"

Rosette blushed a little. "Your voice… it sounds a bit deep. I was thinking you were going through that thingy called puberty… Uh, Ms. Jones told us it makes your voice change a bit and deepen."

"You think my voice is a bit deep?" he asked, not looking up from the book.

Rosette continued to blush. "Huh? No, I was just… I just thought it sounded deeper than Joshua's…"

"But with Joshua's energy, it all has to go somewhere. I think it just goes to his vocal chords and makes him gain a pitch or two," Chrno said with a straight face.

Rosette began to laugh. Chrno flinched, not expecting the quiet girl to laugh. "I guess that makes sense," she said after she had calmed down. Chrno had a look of confusion, but then he continued to read the story to a smiling Rosette.

Rosette was staring at the ceiling in her room. She was covering the bottom half of her face with her blanket; she was blushing.

_Why'd I suddenly laugh? And in front of him? _She buried her whole face in the blanket. _I haven't laughed like that since… Actually, I don't think I've __**ever **__laughed like that before. But what he said was so… _Rosette calmed down and was only slightly blushing. She smiled. _He made me laugh. I guess he really is different than everyone else._

"And they lived happily ever after, the end," Chrno finished, closing the book and handing it to Rosette.

"We're done now?" Rosette asked.

Chrno nodded. "Do you have any other books?"

Rosette shook her head. "This is the only book we have. Every other book is too hard."

Chrno looked at the book in Rosette's hands. He seemed to be thinking, and then he stood up and said, "Stay here, I'll be back soon." He took off running to the orphanage, leaving a confused Rosette behind.

About 10 minutes passed, and Rosette spent them looking at the pictures in the book. She imagined every story in her mind, adding new details and twists to them. They played like movies in her head, the colors bright and the voices fitting. In the middle of her daydream, she was interrupted by the old group of boys who always picked on her.

"Hey _Rosette_," one boy said. "What'cha got there?"

Rosette didn't say anything, she hoped staying quiet would make them go away.

"She isn't responding," said another. "Ain't that rude of her?"

"Yeah," said the first boy. "Hey, Rosette, you should let us see that book a'yours. We promise to give it back."

He reached for the book, but Rosette instinctively held the book closer and tighter to herself.

"Look, now she ain't sharing. You know, you're the rudest girl I've ever met _Rosette_," the boy said.

"Maybe we outta teach her some manners," one of the other boys said.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," the first boy said. He snapped his fingers, and the rest of the boys grabbed Rosette and put her hands behind her back. Rosette was surprised and scared. The second boy grabbed the book of fairy tales.

"Now Rosette, everything on this property belongs to the orphanage, which means we gotta share. If we don't share, we gotta suffer the consequences."

The second boy opened the book to a random page and lightly tugged on the page, threatening to rip it out.

"Don't you dare!" Rosette said, fearing the worst.

"You're not sharing. You have to suffer the consequences," the first boy said casually. He gave a nod to the second boy.

The second boy pulled a page out. "NO!" Rosette yelled; tears beginning to fall down her cheeks.

"Where's your loser brother, huh Rosette?" the first boy spat. "That loser can't save you; he's just a whimpy _loser_.

"Oh yeah," he continued. "There's also that freak show of a new kid. I mean, he's probably just as much of a loser as your brother is." He snapped his fingers at the second boy. The second boy ripped another page from the book.

"STOP IT!" Rosette yelled, trying to jerk free of the other boys. She was crying more than she ever has before.

"Face it, Rosette. All your friends are freaks or losers. You have nothing. And you know what? You're a freak AND a loser for hanging out with them!" He snapped his fingers again at the second boy, wanting him to rip another page. But before he could manage to pull on the page, he was hit across the back of the head and fell to the ground.

"What the heck?" the first boy turned around to see who hit his crew, but he was also hit in the face, being knocked down as well.

Rosette looked up to see who, fearlessly, hit the two boys. "C…. CHRNO!" she cried.

"Get him!" one of the boys holding Rosette said. The other boys ran toward Chrno, meaning to gang up on him and get revenge for hitting their leader. Chrno simply dodged them, took them on and easily took them all out at once.

He approached the boy holding Rosette. He pointed to the orphanage behind the last boy and said coldly, "Now or never."

The last boy didn't give it second thought, and took off running to the building, not looking back.

Rosette was in shock, somewhat traumatized by the event that just took place. She crawled over to the book of fairy tales, tears still falling down her face. She picked up the damaged book and its torn out pages.

Chrno came up behind her and crouched next to her. He used to finger to wipe off tears from Rosette's face, even though it made no difference as they were replaced by fresh tears.

Once Rosette calmed down a bit, she asked Chrno where he had gone. He held out a small leather book, and simply said, "A new story."

Rosette's tears started again, and she hugged the purple-haired boy. Chrno was caught off guard by the hug, and fell backward. He stared at Rosette, surprise obvious on his face, but then he patted her head and began to comfort her in any way he could.

Chrno and Rosette were under the tree again. Rosette had finished most of the crying. She was holding Chrno's hand. It comforted her to know he was there. "Why'd you go get a new story for me?" Rosette asked. Chrno didn't say anything, and only stared at the book. "Actually, why did you read for me at all? Why did you come to my room? I've never really talked to you before. The only one who has is Joshua."

Chrno played with the cover with his free hand. "Joshua…" he began, trying to find the right words. "Joshua… he told me to watch over you for him…"

"Huh?" Rosette looked at the boy. "But… he told you that weeks ago. And he only meant it for that time only."

"He meant all the time," Chrno said, looking over at Rosette. "I can tell. He thinks he can trust me to take care of his sister for him, whether he's sick or not."

Rosette stared at Chrno for a while, and then smiled warmly. She leaned to the side and put her head on Chrno's shoulder. Chrno, now a little more used to Rosette, wasn't too surprised at the movement, and continued to play with the cover.

"Thank you," Rosette said.

"Anytime," Chrno said back.

With that, Chrno and Rosette became friends.

* * *

I dedicate this chapter to my mom, who let me stay past my bedtime to release my inspiration for this chapter. xD

R & R!

(This chapter has the most words so far xD)


	5. Rebel

I do not own Chrno Crusade

Sorry I haven't been updating guys, I'm just kinda caught up in things, and I did have plenty of moments where I could've updated, but I didn't :

I hope you can forgive this stupid author.

I found it hard to get inspiration for this chapter… because I didn't know what to do 3; Since I didn't any major plans for this story, I kinda have to make it up as I go along. xD; I will try to not let it wander though.

UGH. And I have to keep re-reading the chapters to make sure the story flows right orz

* * *

Joshua practically kicked the door open. He was panting. _He probably came running from his room…_ Rosette thought with a sweat-drop.

Joshua tackled the sitting Rosette. Rosette fell back and hit her head on the wall behind her. "OW!" she yelled. She then hit Joshua on the head. "Are you trying to make me stay here longer Joshua?"

"I wish!" Joshua said, pouting. "It was fun the few days you were here."

"I'm sure it was, for you at least, but not for me," Rosette said. She covered her face with her hand. "Now I have to go back to school, and back to a huge pile of homework from Ms. Kate. That woman doesn't give me mercy even if I'm in the hospital!"

The man at the doorway chuckled. Rosette and Joshua turned to look at him, not knowing he was there. "D-Dr. Remington!" Rosette said with a blush. Joshua slightly growled at the doctor.

"I see you've already heard the news Joshua." Dr. Remington smiled at Joshua.

"Of course," Joshua responded. "When it comes to my sister, I should be the first to know."

"Actually, it should be dad who should know first," Rosette said to Joshua. He only responded with a glare.

Dr. Remington chuckled again. "Well, since it wasn't anything serious, you should be out of here by tomorrow Rosette." Rosette smiled and nodded at the doctor. "But that's only if you can get plenty of rest, which means you have to go Joshua."

Joshua groaned. "Do I have to?" Dr. Remington nodded. "Ugh." Joshua got off of Rosette's bed and headed for the door. "Bye Rosette. You better sleep, okay?" With that, he left.

Rosette sighed. "Sorry Dr. Remington, he just worries for me a lot."

The doctor smiled. "I don't blame him; you work so hard just so you can help your father out with the bills from the hospital and everything else. You're amazing Rosette."

Rosette blushed a little and scratched the back of her head. "N-not really, I'm just a normal girl."

"Well, miss normal girl, I'll be leaving you to get some rest," Dr. Remington said with a wink.

Rosette waved goodbye to the doctor, and lay down. She started at the ceiling, spacing out, not thinking of anything in specific.

_I wonder…. How is Chrno? _she thought. _Did he get adopted? Is he still in New York? America?_ She sighed and turned to lay on her side. _Will I ever see him again?_

**XXX**

"Once again, I apologize for his behavior. I really hope you'll consider one of the children you have seen today," Ms. Jean said, bowing to the couple leaving the orphanage.

It had been 2 years since Rosette and Joshua left. Ms. Jean didn't really seem to notice any difference with their absence at first. Their friend, Chrno, would always stay in his room, only ever coming out to eat or go to the bathroom. That is, until he hit his teenage years.

Chrno started making trouble. He would pull pranks on the people coming to adopt, and sometimes they wouldn't come back. He had a negative effect on the adoption rate, and Ms. Jean needed to do something about it, fast.

Ms. Jean walked down the hall and knocked on Chrno's door. Loud heavy metal music blasted from the inside, which was not all uncommon nowadays. She knocked again, a little harder this time. The music died down inside, and she heard footsteps walking across the ground. _I still don't know how he can hear me through that loud music,_ Ms. Jean thought. The door opened, and revealed the purple hair preteen that had been the cause of the incident earlier.

"What?" Chrno asked with notable irritated tone.

Ms. Jean cleared her voice. "Chrno, I need to talk to you. May I please come in?" Chrno turned around, going back inside, but he left the door open, meaning Ms. Jean could enter.

The room was just messy, just as Ms. Jean thought it would be, but rather than trash and clothes all over, there were books and paper scattered all over the room. Chrno sat down on his bed, taking up his notebook and continuing whatever he was writing. Ms. Jean somehow managed to find a chair under the chaos and sat down. Chrno once again blasted the music without warning, causing Ms. Jean to go deaf in the ears for a moment. "Chrno!" she yelled. He turned down the music.

Ms. Jean, now regaining her hearing, started. "I needed to talk to you Chrno. It's about-"

"-Earlier today right?" Chrno finished for her.

Ms. Jean nodded. "I have been very tolerant of you Chrno. For months now, you have been nothing but rebellious, and that rebellion is costing many children potential families! I came to warn you one final time. If you continue with your troubles, I will have no choice but to send you to a-"

"-Boarding school," Chrno finished for her once again. She nodded again. Chrno sighed and set down his notebook. "Isn't it about time you 'punished' me properly? I can't believe you'd really think that you can change me after your various attempts that failed."

Now it was Ms. Jean's turn to sigh. "Chrno, I know that the cause of your rebellion is-" Chrno glared at her. "-_Their _leaving. But I did it for their good. It had nothing to do with you; they had just been here too long. I'm sure they're happy with their new family." Chrno looked out the window, not responding. "You want me to kick you out, so you can go find them right?"

Chrno looked back over to Ms. Jean, slightly shocked. "I may not know you very well Chrno, but I know that you cared for those two, and it took me the longest time to figure out how much of an impact their absence had on you."

Chrno looked down at his notebook. "I know you can't kick me out without a good enough reason," he said. "I don't really want to cause you any trouble, but I didn't have any other choice than this."

Ms. Jean smiled at the boy. "If you really wanted to go that badly, then you should have told me. I would have made up some excuse for your leaving." Chrno didn't look up. Ms. Jean stood up and began walking towards the door. "Actually, I take it back Chrno. I shall arrange for your arrival at the boarding school." Chrno looked up at Ms. Jean, shocked. "Please prepare your things so you can leave as soon as possible," she said with a wink.

Chrno smiled over at Ms. Jean. That was the first smile she had seen on his face since Rosette and Joshua left.

* * *

Once again, I apologize to my readers for not updating. I hope that even though this chapter is short, you'll be satisfied. ;A;

And I also apologize for any bad grammar, sentence structure and whatnot. I uploaded this as soon as I finished it because I was excited I could finally get around to writing again. xD

R&R!


	6. The Princess and the Bimbo

Oh gosh guys. You all must hate me. ;A;

So rather than coming up with excuses as to why I've failed to update, I'll just talk about other things.

Over the time, my love for Chrono Crusade has died down a bit, being replaced by other amazing things like Blue Exorcist, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona games, Legend of Zelda….

But I promise to not stop writing this story! D;

I promise to finish this story, even if it takes me years to do so because I forget and update like a year later.

Anyway, I had forgotten that I didn't actually plan anything for this story, and have just made it up as I went along. However, after writing this chapter, the future plans came pouring out of my brain like a fountain. Expect some surprises! 8D

**Warning guys**: Cuss word! Oh no! D8 Only one though.

Disclaimer: I do not own Chrono Crusade. All characters belong to their rightful owner, Daisuke Moriyama.

* * *

Some of the boys on the ground groaned in pain. The leader was on one knee, using one of his hands for additional support. He coughed up a bit a blood then wiped it away with his other hand. He looked around to see his crew sprawled about the alley. Some were knocked out entirely, while others were barely conscious.

He and his guys only meant to find a girl and have fun. They saw one and recognized her from their school. They decided she would be their target. However, while they tried to sweet talk her, she simply looked down on them. When they couldn't take it, they tried a more aggressive approach. That proved, however, to be a very, _very_ bad idea.

The leader looked up at the gang of six that had completely messed them up. Turned out, the girl they hit on was part of the most feared groups of the school. No wonder they had seen her before.

He looked around. He saw a switchblade, picked it up, and aimed at the back of one of them. He threw it, knowing they had let their guard down. That wasn't the case. Their leader turned around and caught the blade between his first two fingers. He smirked at the beaten leader's attempt.

The defeated leader began to shake in fear. "W-What the fuck _are_ you guys?" he stammered.

"Surely you've heard of us. Aren't you a gang leader yourself?" an odd girl with large round glasses and some weird cat cosplay asked, honestly curious.

"Probably not, considering he was planning on messing with _me_," the girl that the defeated gang hit on said.

"But just because they don't recognize who's in the group doesn't mean they haven't at least heard of us," the cat girl replied.

The leader chuckled. "He didn't ask _who_ we are, Shader. He asked _what_."

"Oh!" Shader exclaimed. "Well that one's easy! We're-"

"Sinners," the leader interrupted. "You and your boys should be careful of who they come into contact with next time. We wouldn't want to add incidents to our list."

"Let's go, Aion," a guy with long hair said to his leader. "Before they find us here and make us explain."

The leader turned around and led his group out of the alley. The defeated leader, still shaken, let himself fall to the ground, and lost consciousness.

**XXX**

Rosette rubbed sleep out of her eyes. She looked over at her clock, seeing that it was only 6 o'clock. She lay back down in her bed, closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep. After a few minutes, she determined the attempt wasn't worth trying. She got out of her bed and went to take a shower. After she finished, she went into the kitchen looking for some food.

She raided the refrigerator looking for milk to use in her cereal, but only found milk that had expired over a week before. _How long was I really gone for this to happen?_ Rosette wondered to herself. After throwing away the curdled milk, she went through the cupboards looking for some pop tarts. Again, she found nothing. She then looked in the bread box, hoping to at least find bread for toast. Sadly, the bread was molding in its bag in the box.

Frustrated and defeated by the empty kitchen, Rosette hesitantly grabbed some plain oatmeal. "I don't know how Dad can eat this stuff, but I'm hungry," she said to herself. She opened the microwave, too impatient to boil the water first instead. Upon opening the microwave, however, she spotted a large stack of pancakes. There was a note on top of them. Rosette took the note. It read, "_Sorry I wasn't here to welcome you back, but this should suffice until I can tonight._"

"Is he going to be home tonight?" Rosette said smiling. She looked at the stack of seven pancakes and teared up out of happiness. "Dad, you sure know how to please your daughter. You knew she would be absolutely sick of hospital food and made her one of the best homemade things," Rosette said, sniffing. Setting aside the note, she grabbed the plate of pancakes and put the bowl of uncooked oatmeal in its place. She closed the microwave's door, sat down at the dinner table, poured probably a cup of maple syrup on the pancakes, and savored every bite she took.

**X**

After the best breakfast she had had in over a week, Rosette prepared herself for school. She slipped into her preppy uniform, and looked at herself in the mirror while she did her hair. _I swear, I'll never get used to this uniform,_ she mentally sighed. She grabbed her backpack, headed out of her room, grabbed her keys, and locked the door as she went out.

Since it was only 7 o'clock, Rosette was able to take her time walking to school, which was a first in the whole school year. She went to the bus stop and took out her bus pass. Remembering that a new month had started and that she needed to get a new pass, Rosette cursed under her breath. She shuffled through her backpack's pockets, looking for change. After collecting every cent she could find, she began counting. Only ten cents short, Rosette went through her backpack again. In her rushed looking, Rosette accidentally dropped her change. Cursing, Rosette picked up the little cents. Suddenly, Rosette saw a girl helping her pick up the change. When it was all picked up, the other girl handed her the change.

Rosette immediately recognized the girl as Mary Magdalene, the richest and most popular girl in school. "Uh, thanks?" Rosette responded, flabbergasted.

"No problem," Mary smiled. "You're Rosette, right?"

Rosette was shocked. "Y-yeah. Do you know me?"

Mary giggled. "Of course, we have the same History class."

Rosette was even more shocked. "_We do_?"

"Yes. But you probably didn't notice since I'm often not at school. That, and I sit in the back of the classroom."

"O-oh. Sorry 'bout that, then…" Rosette looked away, embarrassed.

"Oh no! Don't be sorry, I don't blame you," Mary smiled again.

"Still…." Rosette looked back at Mary. "You ride the bus? I would think that you get to ride like… a limo to school or something."

Mary blushed. "O-oh, well, I've never ridden on the bus before, and I thought I'd try it. Is that weird?"

Rosette quickly shook her head. "No. It's just… unexpected?"

An awkward silence fell between the girls. Mary was looking at the ground, still blushing slightly. Rosette fiddled with her change until she remembered why she dropped it in the first place.

"Shoot, I'm still missing ten cents!" Rosette said to herself while rummaging through her backpack.

Mary, overhearing this, felt around her skirt pocket until she felt a cold coin. She pulled it out, checked to see if it was a dime, and tapped Rosette's shoulder. When Rosette looked up at her, she held out the dime on an open palm. "Um, here you go," Mary said.

Rosette looked at the dime in Mary's palm. "Oh! Uh, thanks," Rosette said. She took the dime and counted her change again. She now had enough for the bus.

Said bus turned a corner and began to stop to let them on. The few people at the bus stop got into a quick line and prepared their payments. They quickly boarded and paid, and it soon became Mary's turn. Mary, new to the experience, clumsily and slowly inserted her money into the coin feeder. Rosette, standing behind Mary, could feel the impatient glares behind them. Mary finally finished and took a seat near the front. Rosette inserted her change much faster than Mary had, not wanting to be the new target of the glares. She took a seat near the back, took out the iPod she had received for her birthday a few months earlier and listened to her music while the bus drove to the school.

When the stop in front of the school was approaching, Rosette put away her iPod. She gave the signal for the bus to stop, since most of the other students usually waited to the last minute to do it. When the bus stopped, students got off the bus's back door. As Rosette was about to get off, she saw that Mary was still sitting in her seat. Rosette hesitantly, yet quickly, approached Mary.

"Uh, Mary? This is our stop," Rosette told the girl.

"Oh, it is?" Mary looked surprised. She quickly stood up and got off the bus with Rosette. They walked into the school together as another awkward silence befell them.

"So" – Rosette was the first to break the silence – "What did you think of your first bus ride?" Rosette asked.

"It was certainly nerve-racking," Mary sighed. "I'm not sure I could describe it any other way. I felt incredibly self-conscious putting the coins in, too."

"It's always like that at first," Rosette reassured her. "When I first used the bus, I basically acted the same as you. Only, I missed my stop and was stuck riding in circles forever." Rosette chuckled at the memory.

"That's right! Thank you for telling me that we had arrived." Mary slightly bowed, which threw Rosette off.

"H-huh?" N-Nah, it's Jake." _Jake?_ "I would've felt bad afterwards if I had left you there," Rosette said while scratching her cheek.

"Still, thank you." Mary bowed again. She suddenly noticed the movements she had been making at a confused Rosette. "Oh! Sorry. Before the school year began, I was living in Japan for a while. It seems that I haven't shaken some of those habits completely yet."

"Wow, Japan?" Rosette said, amazed.

Mary smiled. "Yes. My father had business there and asked me to accompany him. It's such a beautiful place. Very modern, too."

Mary and Rosette continued to walk and talk until they entered the school.

**XXX**

Rosette set down her backpack on the desk, eagerly waiting to give her back a break. _Last class Rosette. Just one more class to go,_ she thought to herself. She heard a squeal from behind and was tackled from behind almost one second later. "Ow! There goes my back again!" Rosette yelled while prying her friend off her back.

"Rosette!" the blond friend squealed. "You're back!"

"Yes, Mary. _My back_," Rosette told her friend while rubbing her lower back.

"Oh Rosette you oldie," the girl laughed.

"We didn't see you at lunch," a redhead said from behind Mary.

"Sorry Anna, I had to stay after class and get some extra assignments. I nearly missed lunch myself," Rosette replied.

"It's great to see you back, though," a brunette said, smiling.

"Great to be back!" – Rosette smiled – "is what I would say if I didn't have to come back to all of this." Rosette motioned to her backpack.

"So, Rosette. Rumor has it that you walked to school with her highness," the energetic blond girl cooed.

"Huh? You mean Mary Magdalene?" Rosette said. "Yeah. We chatted a bit, no big deal."

"'_No big deal'_? Dude, you talked to Mary Magdalene," Anna said. "That's like…"

"The princess and the pauper status," the brunette girl finished.

"No Claire! It's more like, The Princess and the Bimbo!" Mary chirped.

"Who's the bimbo?" Rosette growled.

"Certainly not Mary," the girl replied.

As Rosette held Mary in a chokehold, the bell commencing the start of class rung. Everyone scurried to their seats as quickly as they could, wanting to avoid the wrath that would ensue otherwise. As a second bell rung, a stern looking woman entered the classroom. She walked over to the front desk at the left of the board and took a seat. She took out a binder and began taking roll. Everyone replied immediately as their names were called.

"Christopher," the woman called.

"Here!" Rosette answered. Her voice cracked.

"Ah, Rosette. It's good to see you're back. I hope you are in much better condition now," the woman smiled.

Rosette gulped. "Y-yes, Ms. Kate. I'm glad to be back."

"Good." Ms. Kate continued smiling. After finishing roll call, Ms. Kate put her hands together. "All right everyone, clear your desks! Today is the day of our test on the 1920's. No groaning, you all knew this day would come. Now hurry," she announced.

Rosette's jaw dropped. _Just perfect. One failed test throws my delicate C out the window,_ Rosette thought. _Oh god, please save me!_

As Ms. Kate approached Rosette with the tests in hand, she said, "Rosette, as you were not here, you are not required to take the test." She continued to walk and hand out tests.

Rosette was both shocked and euphoric. She put her hands together and raised them to the sky. _Praised be the lord!_ She thought happily. She ignored her friends' giggles. Mary was also told that she was excused from the test.

"Alright, begin!" Ms. Kate called from the back of the room. Just as Rosette finished holding back tears of happiness, Ms. Kate came up beside her and whispered, "However, you must see me after class for an alternative assignment." Rosette's heart dropped below her stomach. Muffled laughs were heard. "Quiet girls!" Ms. Kate hushed.

**XXX**

A devastated Rosette waited in front of Ms. Kate's desk. She was numb to the pain in her back from the make-up assignments. She couldn't even greet Mary, who was seemingly amused by Rosette's state. Ms. Kate entered the classroom, walked over to her desk and sat down. She put her elbows on her desk and put linked hands under her chin.

"You girls have missed a lot in the week you were gone," Ms. Kate began. "I should just give you girls a lot of make-up work to catch you up…" – Rosette made an even more devastated face that made Mary giggle – "but I won't. Instead, you girls will write a 10,000 word book report on a very well known book. It only covers part of what we learned, but it should give you a pretty good idea of what. We'll take care of the details later." Ms. Kate reached into a desk drawer and pulled out two large books.

"I don't recall Harry Potter taking place in the 1920's," Rosette said in regard to the size of the books. Mary giggled at Rosette's remark.

"No, miss Christopher. This book is called _Time is Precious_ and written by Marie Hendric," Ms. Kate explained.

"Well that's a cheesy book title," Rosette said while reaching out for one of the books Ms. Kate had taken out. Mary giggled again and did the same as Rosette.

"Hendric claimed to have written it as an autobiography," Ms. Kate ignored Rosette's comment, "but it is officially listed as a fantasy adventure novel. Once you begin reading it, you will understand why that is its official genre. The report will be on whatever tickles your fancy about this book. A character, the plot, anything. It cannot, however, be something vague like 'everyone's character development'. It must be specific. I am willing to answer any question you two may have about the book, but I cannot guarantee I'll be able to answer. You girls have two weeks to write the report. That is all, you are dismissed."

Mary and Rosette looked at each other, dumbfounded. "Um, Ms. Kate?" Mary called Ms. Kate's attention. "Why a book report? It seems… very unlike you to let us off this easy. I mean, it doesn't seem like something you would do."

Ms. Kate looked at Mary. "I wanted to try something new. You two are my guinea pigs."

The girls were even more dumbfounded. "So, why is it the book well known?" Rosette asked.

Ms. Kate removed her glasses. "Although it was announced as an autobiography, the public viewed its contents as ridiculous. However, even after harsh criticism, the author insisted it to be true. You girls may choose to believe it or not. Now, I would appreciate it if you two were on your way, as I still have work to do."

Ms. Kate nearly pushed the girls out of the classroom.

**XXX**

"It's really unlike that devil woman to let us off easy like this," Rosette told Mary. "Not that I'm complaining, really."

Mary sighed. "I was actually looking forward to the pile of work."

Rosette stopped in her tracks. "You what?"

Mary laughed. "I wanted to experience the rumored 'Devil Woman's curse' at least once."

Rosette shook her head. "Are you crazy?" she asked Mary.

Mary laughed again. "Maybe? I just want to be able to sympathize with other students. You know, most teachers go easy on me since my Father's rich, but not Ms. Kate. She treats everyone equally, including me."

Rosette blinked. "I guess you have a point. She doesn't play favorites like _other_ teachers I know…" She crossed her arms. "But I still think she's a devil woman," Rosette huffed. Mary simply giggled. "Oh yeah, sorry about the rumor going around about us being buddies," she said to Mary. "I'm sure they'll stop eventually."

"Oh no! It's perfectly fine." Mary smiled. "You're a very interesting person, Rosette. I don't mind being acquaintances with you."

"Oh, really? O-okay." Rosette smiled at the pretty girl.

They conversed while walking and then parted ways. During the rest of their conversation, Rosette could only hear her friend's voice saying "The Princess and the Bimbo" in her mind.

* * *

Man, I got going after writing this chapter. I already have the next one in the making AND I have some more story planned out :U

So if this isn't long enough for you guys, don't worry, I should have another one coming out soon. xD

Please feel free to criticize me for my writing! I know I'm not the best and my sentences come out awkwardly sometimes, but I can't always think of a better way. Advice is appreciated. Heck, send a review that just contains corrections to my various grammar mistakes. It's perfectly fine with me. Writing this fanfic will prepare me to write a story of my own sometime in the future. Hopefully by then, I'll have a good idea of what good writing takes and looks like. C:

Responding to **Alice**: Your review is anonymous, so I couldn't reply directly. Sorry for the late reply! D8

I hadn't really taken note of it before, but you're right. I did make young Rosette and Joshua incredibly OOC. Their roles in my story are apparently completely switched. I didn't mean for that to happen, but I think it's a bit too late now to change. I'll add an OOC warning to previous chapters that contain young Rosette and Joshua. Thank you for pointing it out!

So guys, Read and Review. This chapter was written for all of you who were waiting for who knows how long for this to come out.


	7. Campus D

Disclaimer: I do not own Chrono Crusade or the characters involved with it. I simply own the idea for this story.

I'm so happy you guys reviewed ;u; I'll be on top of this… sorta. Really!

So the story might be switching between different periods of time… er- you'll understand (hopefully) once you finish reading this chapter.

Anyway, I wonder who _Marie Hendric _is? It couldn't possibly be related to someone from Chrono Crusade 8D /shot

It seems that yesterday (10-12-12) was the two-year anniversary of my story! ;u; I can't believe it's been so longgg. /Celebrates with a new chapter

Another warning: More cuss words!

Anyway, on to the chapter! :U

* * *

Even though he was going to a boarding school, Chrno was much happier than he could describe. He would be in the same city as Rosette and Joshua. He would look for them, find them, and get together like the good old days. He'd find a way to attend the same school, or at least a way to be closer to them. He couldn't think of anything negative about the trip to New York and the adventure waiting there.

Chrno played with the pamphlet Ms. Jean had given him. "Don't judge a book by its cover. Schools usually pretty up their image by exaggerating their good points. Be careful, okay Chrno?" Ms. Jean had worriedly told him before he left.

"I know how to stay out of trouble. Problem school or not, it'll be easy," Chrno smirked.

The teen was also excited for school. Before living in the orphanage, Chrno was home-schooled with his caretakers. He never left the house, and had no way of seeing the outside world. Not that he had any desire to, anyway. However, now he was going to attend a _real_ school. He would sit in a desk inside a classroom, have classmates, a teacher giving lectures on a board, and a break between classes. He would have and experience many new things that would be normal for a regular teenager to have experienced.

He knew, though, that school wouldn't be all rainbows and sunshine though. He was well aware of things like bullying, cliques, popularity and other things that could possibly damper his exciting school experience. Not a problem. He knew poetry was weird for a boy to do, hence, no more poetry for him. It wasn't normal for a boy to have unnaturally long hair, and so he cut his shoulder-length hair into a short mess. All he needed was to make a friend or two to avoid being titled "that loner kid". He had everything planned out and in control.

His optimistic hopes quickly withered and vanished when he actually arrived in New York city, however.

The airport alone was full of people. More people than he had ever seen or known in his life. _I really hope they're evacuating the city or something, because I don't know if I could find Rosette in any sea of people larger than this_… Chrno thought.

However, outside it just made things worse. There were even more people than inside the airport outside. He could barely step forward without someone bumping into him and rudely saying "Watch it!". Chrno spent over an hour and a half attempting to get a taxi. If he managed to get one's attention, someone else usually came up from behind him and took off with his hard-earned taxi. Once he tried stealing one himself, but he was just shoved out of the way by the original customer and left behind on the ground. When he had gotten another's attention for the umpteenth time, he quickly opened the door, threw his bag in and shoved his way into the car before someone else could steal it.

Giving a sigh of relief, Chrno asked the taxi driver, "Could you take me to Magdalene Boarding school?"

"Which one, kid?" the driver asked in his rough New York accent.

_There's more than one?_ Chrno thought. He quickly took out the pamphlet and showed the driver the address printed. "Uh, this one?"

The driver froze for a few moments, opened his mouth to say something, decided not to, and gave a curt nod. He began driving in some direction unknown to Chrno, occasionally mumbling to himself or honking at other cars. Chrno watched the tall buildings go by, the lights that flashed every few seconds, and the people walking on the sidewalks. A little spark of hope lit when he saw various people with questionable looks even more questionable than his. _Maybe I can blend in here after all_? He thought, hopeful.

The taxi eventually came to a stop. Chrno looked around the area, but saw no indication of a school. The only thing there was a street. No people, no lights, no anything, just a dark street. Chrno gulped.

"Sorry, kid," the driver said. "This is as far as I'll take ya. Get out, take a right on that street there, and keep walking straight down 'till you reach the school."

"Uh, why did you stop here?" Chrno asked the driver, wondering why he had stopped so far away from the school.

The driver said nothing and only asked for the money owed. Chrno reluctantly paid, got out of the car, watched the taxi speed away, and followed the driver's previous directions.

The street was even more eerie from outside than it was from the car. There really were no lights or people in sight. All the buildings looked abandoned and worn down. Chrno would occasionally pass a cat or dog, and they would hiss or growl at him.

But even though there were no people in sight, Chrno felt like he was constantly being watched.

**X**

After what felt like three miles of walking, Chrno came across a large iron gate. To the left of the gate, on the tall stone wall, there was a sign that read "Magdalene Boarding School, Campus D". Under the sign, there was a small speaker, microphone, and button. The text under the button read "Press for campus access." Chrno gulped and pressed the button. A static noise came from the speaker, and then a voice said, "Magdalene Boarding School, campus D. State your name and purpose of visit."

The sudden voice made Chrno jump, but he was able to calm himself down enough to reply. "Uh- um, my name is Chrno… Rennis," he said into the microphone, hesitating before saying the last name Ms. Jean had given him. "I'm a, uh, transfer student. I was supposed to check in earlier today but was having some difficulty getting-"

He was interrupted by the voice. "Chrno Rennis. Student ID: 5679432. Birth date: November 19th of 1994. Dorm S, room 113." Chrno was surprised. "You were due to come in earlier today."

"Uh, yeah, but I was having trouble getting he-" Chrno began.

"Tardiness is not tolerated here. Do not let this happen again. Upon entering, grab a map from your left and head to your dorm room. Classes begin tomorrow at seven am sharp. You must pass by the office before classes to receive your schedule," the voice interrupted again. "Failure to show up or arriving late results in detention for a week. Your uniform should already be in your room. Any damage done to your uniform also results in detention for a week. The full list of rules can be found in your student handbook. It should be beside your uniform in your room. Read it."

The gates opened just enough to let Chrno squeeze in. The voice began again, "Seven am sharp. Do NOT be late," and stopped.

Chrno gulped. _Oh god, Ms. Jean,_ he thought to himself. _Didn't you research anything about this school before sending me here?_ He remembered her telling him to not judge a book by its cover when she handed him the pamphlet. _More like, you _couldn't_ research anything about the school before choosing it, huh?_ He looked at the gates and the small opening for entrance. _Well, here goes nothing._

Chrno really _did_ have to squeeze his body through the gate to get inside. When he got past the gate, it closed behind him, screeching as it did. Chrno looked to his left, to where the maps were supposedly located, but only saw a broken table, ripped up papers and the words "_Fuck off_" written in spray paint above the mess. He looked around the entrance, hoping for a campus map somewhere, but found nothing. When he finally gave up, he grabbed his bag, put it over his shoulder, and blindly walked onto the campus without any idea of where he was going.

* * *

Short chapter, I know! D8

But it's okay~ I have another coming soooon.

For realz.

References.

Also, I'm sorry I haven't updated in a long time. There are lots of things catching up with me, and it isn't easy to fight them back. D:

But on the bright side, I have an idea of where the story is going now~ /already said that last chapter

Anyway, I will have the next chapter out as soon as I can, and I'll try to make it longer, promise!

R&R!


	8. Who are you?

Once again, any hopes of Chrno finding his way around were lost. There were no signs, no people, no anything. It reminded him of the street he used to get there, but this time he was surrounded by dead grass and no people. He couldn't even see any buildings. _Just how big is this campus anyways?_ He thought to himself. He followed a faint dirt path until it split into various directions. _Now where?_ He thought. There was a pole with signs pointing in the various directions, but Chrno couldn't read them through the graffiti that covered them.

Taking a chance, Chrno began walking on the left path. He hoped that he was going in the right direction, or else he could possibly get lost on the large campus.

A few minutes later, a building came into sight. _Wait, there's more than one!_ Chrno thought excitedly. He began jogging, eager to get some rest from all the walking. When he finally reached the first building, he saw a stone sign that read "_Dorm A_" on its side. He sighed, relieved he reached the dorms without getting lost.

_Where did that lady say my room was? Dorm… S? Room 1… 113 I think._ Chrno walked by the buildings, looking for his dorm. Each building he passed was tall, messy, and old-looking. He also had the same feeling of being watched as he did when he was walking to the school. _This place is… quiet. Way too quiet for my expectations, _Chrno thought. He eventually came by a smaller building. Unlike the others he had passed, this building was painted white. It looked neat from the outside, and didn't appear to be made of bricks. _This couldn't possibly be my…_ Chrno's thoughts were stopped when he saw a sign on the white building that read "_Dorm S_" in calligraphy.

Chrno tried to hide… whatever he was feeling. He pulled the glass doors that granted entrance to the building. The inside was even better than the outside. The "lobby" had fancy and expensive-looking sofas and five flat screen televisions on the walls. He saw a few doors that must've led to a kitchen. There was a grand staircase that went upstairs. On one side, though, he saw an elevator that most likely led upstairs as well.

_Holy crap…_ Chrno thought to himself. _I couldn't possibly belong here. This is a great lie and prank. It has to be._

"May I help you?"

Chrno jumped, surprised by the sudden voice. He tripped as well, landing on his back. "Ow…" He rubbed his head as he sat up, and looked around for the source of the voice. His eyes landed on a girl wearing a maid costume. She had short, black hair and dark black eyes. She looked fairly young, seventeen, maybe eighteen years old.

"Are you alright?" the girl asked with a monotonic tone. Her face showed no concern or interest in Chrno.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine," Chrno replied, not sure how to react to the girl.

"May I help you?" the girl repeated.

Chrno stood up, remembering his reason for being there. "Oh, yeah. I'm a transfer student and I was looking for my dorm, but I think I might've-"

"You are Chrno Rennis," the girl interrupted. "You were due to come in-"

"Earlier, I know," Chrno interrupted with irritation in his voice. "Had problems getting here, tardiness not accepted, yadda yadda. I know not to do it again, _sorry_."

"I do not care if you are late, however, this does not leave a good first impression for Master Aion," the girl replied.

_Master?_ Chrno thought. "Er- who is this… _Aion_?" Chrno asked the girl.

"You shall meet him later, at dinner, seeing as you have missed your chance to meet him upon your arrival," the girl said. She walked to the bottom of the stairs and lifted her hand to motion upwards. "Come. I will show you your room," she said, and then she began walking upstairs. Chrno flustered for his bag, and jogged to catch up to the mysterious girl.

The girl led him past a hall of doors. Each door had a small gold sign that had a number printed on it. They reminded Chrno of a hotel with room numbers on them, even though he had never been in a hotel himself. They passed many doors, and Chrno wondered about how many people actually lived there.

"Um, how many people live here?" Chrno mirrored his curiosity into words.

"Including you and me, there are seven residents," the girl replied. "The residents here are… unique cases, so to speak. They are set apart from the other students to avoid trouble," she added, answering Chrno's unasked question.

"Unique, like, special?" Chrno asked. "Is that why they have dorm _S_?"

The girl chuckled, breaking her stoic façade. "You could say that." She stopped at a room with a gold plate that had the number "113" printed on it. "This is your room. I have already placed your mailed possessions inside. Your uniform and student handbook should be on your bed. I will announce on the overhead when it is time for dinner. You may explore or do what you please until then. If you need me, push any red button you see around the dorm."

The girl began to walk back in the direction of the stairs, but Chrno stopped her. "Uhm, May I ask what your name is?"

The girl looked back at Chrno. "My name is Fiore. I request that you call me by this name and no variation of it," the girl responded with a bow. "Please excuse me." Fiore continued walking.

Chrno was perplexed by Fiore's request, but was fine with it and entered his room. He was surprised, perhaps disappointed, with the appearance of his room. It was quite simple: a bed, a dresser, a closet, a desk, and a small bathroom. There was nothing extravagant about the room, and even seemed dingy compared to the rest of the dorm. _Seems?_ Chrno thought. _It _is _dingy._ Deciding not to complain any farther, Chrno began unpacking his few possessions and put them away. When finished, he looked at his uniform spread out on his bed. He grabbed the uniform and tried on the jacket and pants. They fit him a bit bigger than he liked, but he could put up with it. He grabbed the student handbook that was next to his uniform, and flipped to the last page, page 475. _Maybe I'll read this later,_ he decided. He set the handbook on the desk, and flopped onto his bed.

_Dorm S, huh?_ Chrno stared at the white ceiling. He looked over at his clock on the nightstand. _7:48. At what time do they usually eat? _He yawned, suddenly remembering how tired he was. _Just a nap…_ Chrno feel into a deep sleep in less than a few seconds after closing his eyes.

**X**

"Dinner is served" said a familiar monotonic female voice on the overhead.

Chrno jolted up, awoken by the announcement. He rubbed his eyes and looked over at the clock. "10:00 PM. What?" He dragged himself out of the comfortable bed and slipped on his shoes. He stretched, yawned, and rubbed his eyes again, trying to fully wake himself up. He suddenly remembered that he was going to meet "Master" Aion at dinner, and scurried to the bathroom to fix his hair. He quickly left the room, and went in the direction he thought led to the staircase.

Luckily, Chrno was able to make his way through the dorm without getting lost. He made it safely to the staircase, although he had been tempted to explore on his way there. Not sure if he was ready to meet the "Master", Chrno stood at the top of the stairs taking deep breaths trying in attempt to prepare himself to meet his new dorm mates. He took one last deep breath and moved his foot down to the first step.

"Hi there!" a shrill voice came from behind Chrno.

Surprised and caught off guard, Chrno tripped forward and down the long staircase. He landed and a painful "thud" was heard at the bottom. He moaned and slowly rose, surprised he even survived the fall.

A girl came running down the stairs saying "Oh my gosh!" all the way down. She finally reached Chrno at the bottom and fluttered all around him. "Are you okay? Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to startle you! Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! You need help, right? Fi-chan! Hang on, okay? FI-CHAN!"

Fiore came out at a calm pace from a door. "Shader, what are you going on about?"

The girl pointed frantically at Chrno. "He fell down the stairs after I welcomed him! I just wanted to say hi since I had heard that the new student was here and I got excited and couldn't wait until dinner so I went to go and find-"

"That's enough, Shader," Fiore stopped her. She walked over to Chrno, kneeled down next to him, and then began to ask him questions. "Where are you?"

Chrno responded without thinking. "W-what?"

"Where are you?" Fiore repeated.

"Uh, in the dorm, I think," Chrno replied dumbly.

"What year is it?" Fiore asked.

"Um… 2012?" Chrno replied. He didn't see the point in the questions, seeing as he was writhing in pain, but answered them anyway.

"What's your name?"

"Chrno."

"Who am I?"

"Fiore."

Fiore stood up and looked over at the girl. "I'm pretty sure he doesn't have a concussion. I'll check up on him later just to make sure." The girl sighed, relieved. Fiore looked down at Chrno. "Stand up, you're perfectly fine."

Chrno tried to look up at the maid girl. "W-what? I just fell down a huge flight of stairs and I'm fine? I mean, thanks for your concern and all, but I think I'd like an ambulance, or at least a nurse."

Fiore sighed, reached down to the boy and lifted him up. She hit certain points on Chrno's body, making him feel a sharp, short pain. After she finished, she made him stand up straight and tried to quickly dust his clothes. Chrno, surprisingly, felt fine. On the ground, it had felt like maybe he had hurt a bone or something, but now he felt just as he did on the top of the stairs.

Fiore finished dusting him. "You'll most likely feel a bit sore tomorrow, but you should be fine from now. Let us go to dinner. It's best not to keep master Aion waiting." Fiore turned around and began her way back the kitchen.

"She's so heartless, isn't she?" a girly voice came from beside Chrno. He looked over and saw a busty girl with large round glasses, a lab coat, black hair and brown eyes. She also had ears on top of her head, and Chrno thought he saw a tail moving around behind her. "Sorry about earlier. I was really excited to meet you." She stuck out her hand. "I'm Shader!" she introduced herself cheerfully.

Chrno shook her hand, not sure of what else to do. "Uh, I'm Chrno."

"Chrno?" the girl repeated. "Hmm…. That's an interesting name. Sounds a bit familiar too." She shrugged. "Come on, let's go get some grub!" Shader walked excitedly to the Dining room door, and Chrno followed.

She opened the door and Chrno finally got to meet the so-called "Master."

* * *

CLIFFHANGER~ /shot

Sorry sorry. I'm just dragging this out, aren't I? xD;

Anyway, sorrrry, Chrno won't meet "Master" until the chapter after next, either!

I have to do some research before that.

Anyway, it's been a few months since I've updated, and for that, I'm terribly sorry. I know I said soon but…

This is sooner than normal right?

Anyway, next chapter we go back to Rosette in "present-time", and see how it's going with her.

As always, R&R, I don't own the story, apologies galore, and I thank you all for waiting!

-Michi

(Also, I'll proofread later, since I really just want to get this chapter up already)


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